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The Daily Tar Heel

Athletic department gets a sustainability review

The Department of Athletics released the review, called the UNC Athletics Sustainability Report, in conjunction with the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling.

The review has collected sustainability efforts by the athletic department since 2000 and presents them in a single document, divided into six categories: energy, water, recycling, transportation, purchasing and service.

Different sustainability efforts in the report include LED lightbulbs in stadiums, cisterns and infiltration fields to recycle water and a tailgating recycling program.

The information collected is part of a growing story, Richie Grimsley, assistant director of athletic facility planning and management, said.

“It’s important for fans who read this to learn something. I think it’s important for them to know about the efforts that are made to contribute to a sustainable game day,” Grimsley said.

The report was consolidated by Natalia Posthill, a former student who worked with BJ Tipton, program manager for the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling, and included information provided by several sources.

Beyond fans, the review works at several levels — from students to inter-school administrations, Tipton said.

Sustainable environmental policies aren’t the work of a single person, or even a single department, Tipton said. By bringing together the information, the story can be shared more easily and streamline policy implementation.

The inspiration for doing the review came, Tipton said, from the National Wildlife Federation and the Green Sports Alliance, who put out a game day report highlighting collegiate environmental programs across the nation.

“We sat down, and we said ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if we did this?’” Tipton said.

Grimsley said their sustainability efforts started small but, in the following years, the methods were tweaked and expanded and are expanding even today.

“(Composting) sounds really easy, but it’s complicated,” Tipton said. “The ongoing process is just getting all the other participants to buy in, whether it be concession vendors or food service providers, getting them on the same plan that we wanna do.”

Carol Hee, co-chairperson of the Sustainability Advisory Committee, said other transportation is another issue the committee is focusing on. She said they are encouraging carpooling.

The desire for environmental improvement expands beyond UNC. Tipton said she is posting portions of the review to a collegiate recycling group and has received requests from other schools to view the complete report.

“The document was pretty widely distributed through the media in the last couple weeks. It was put out in pieces, like little teasers,” she said.

There are no plans to print the report and distribute it physically. Plans to release follow-up reports are uncertain but have been discussed.

“I think we’d have to make bigger key points to change it and re-release it, but it’s certainly possible,” Grimsley said.

university@dailytarheel.com

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